Republicans are anti-women, anti-sex, and anti-contraception. And they proved it again in Utah, where the GOP dominated legislature passed a bill which would effectively ban schools from teaching contraception and birth control in sex education courses.

“The House passed HB363 by a 45-28 vote after a late-afternoon debate that centered largely on lawmakers’ differing definitions of morality,” and will “prohibit schools that continue to teach sex education from instructing students in “the use of contraceptive methods or devices.””

Utah already prohibits schools from encouraging the use of contraceptives to promote safe sex. Schools are only allowed to “choose whether to simply stress abstinence or teach abstinence-only.”

The sponsor of HB 363, Republican Rep. Bill Wright says “We’ve been culturally watered down to think we have to teach about sex, about having sex and how to get away with it, which is intellectually dishonest. Why don’t we just be honest with them upfront that sex outside marriage is devastating?”

You know what’s really “intellectually dishonest” and “devastating”? Lying to teenagers about sex. Abstinence-only programs do NOT work. A new study shows that only teaching abstinence does nothing to reduce teen pregnancy and sexual activity. It just doesn’t work. Republicans are specifically ordering schools to withhold information about contraception methods from students. This information is crucial to reducing teen pregnancy and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Bill Wright is also being dishonest about sex. People can have safe, enjoyable, and fulfilling sexual relationships without getting married. Sex is part of life and it’s healthy too. Besides, teens are going to do what they want to do. We might as well encourage that they at least be safe when they do it.

Republicans are once again waging war against contraception and are trying to push religion on students. Bill Wright specifically stated that we must teach students that “sex outside of marriage is devastating.” This is a Biblical viewpoint that has no support in civil law because no religion in this country can force people to obey religious doctrine. It’s unconstitutional because forcing people to only have sex during marriage because of a religious view is not only a violation of privacy, it’s akin to forcing people to obey Sharia Law. It’s a violation of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. It’s also highly hypocritical since many Republicans have been caught cheating on their wives which fits the definition of sex outside of marriage.

Teaching abstinence and discouraging pre-marital sex didn’t stop Bristol Palin, it won’t stop other teens. It didn’t stop Newt Gingrich either. Yet both of them are held in high regard in conservative circles. As usual, the rules don’t apply to Republicans but the rest of us don’t get a free pass.